Staff Data Scientist, Apps Team

Apple

Write a function that uses iteration to print all numbers from 1 to a given number. For example, if the input is 5, the function should print: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now, extend this function to print only the even numbers within that range. For instance, if the input is 10, the output should be: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Finally, modify the function to accept a second argument, which represents the step size. Using iteration, print numbers starting from 1 up to the given number, incrementing by the step size. As an example, given the number 15 and a step size of 3, the expected output is: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13. Be sure to handle edge cases and invalid inputs appropriately.

Apple

System Design Question: Designing a URL Shortening Service like TinyURL Let's design a URL shortening service like TinyURL. Consider the following: Functional Requirements: Given a long URL, the service should generate a shorter and unique alias. When users access the short URL, they should be redirected to the original long URL. The system should be highly available and reliable. Analytics: Track the number of times a short URL has been accessed. Non-Functional Requirements: The system should have low latency for URL redirection. Shortened URLs should be relatively short in length. The system should be able to handle a large number of URL shortening and redirection requests. Scalability: The system should be scalable to handle a growing number of URLs and users. Capacity Estimation & Constraints: Assume 100 million URLs are shortened per day. Assume 1 billion redirections per day. Assume a read/write ratio of 10:1 (redirections vs. shortening). Short URL length should be as short as possible (e.g., 7 characters). High-Level Design: Discuss the components involved (e.g., web servers, application servers, database). Explain the URL shortening and redirection process. Propose a suitable database (e.g., SQL or NoSQL). Detailed Design: How to generate unique short URLs? Discuss approaches like hash functions, base-62 encoding, or UUIDs. What are the tradeoffs of each approach in terms of collision probability, URL length, and performance? Explain the database schema for storing the mappings between short and long URLs. Detail the caching strategy to improve redirection performance. Where should the cache be placed (e.g., client-side, CDN, in-memory cache)? What cache eviction policy should be used? Scaling and Availability: How to scale the system to handle the expected load? Discuss techniques like load balancing, database sharding, and replication. How to ensure high availability? Discuss strategies like redundancy, failover mechanisms, and monitoring. Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse (e.g., a user shortening too many URLs in a short period of time). Discuss different rate-limiting algorithms (e.g., token bucket, leaky bucket). Walk through the design process, addressing each of these points. Explain any tradeoffs you make in your design decisions. Show examples of how different technologies or architectural choices impact system performance and scalability.

Apple

Let's discuss your approach to debugging malfunctions. Imagine you are on call for a critical e-commerce platform, and users start reporting that they are unable to complete their purchases. The error logs show a vague Transaction Failed message with no clear indication of the root cause. The customer service team is overwhelmed with complaints, and the business is losing revenue every minute the issue persists. Describe your initial steps in diagnosing the problem.** What tools or techniques would you use to gather more information? Would you focus on the front-end, back-end, or both? How would you prioritize your debugging efforts?** Would you start by examining the most recent code changes, monitoring server resources, or checking database connections? Explain your strategy for isolating the fault.** What methods would you employ to narrow down the potential causes of the malfunction, such as bisecting the code, using debugging tools, or performing hypothesis testing? Outline your approach to resolving the issue.** Once you have identified the root cause, what steps would you take to fix it quickly and effectively? How would you ensure that your fix does not introduce new problems? Discuss how you would prevent similar malfunctions from occurring in the future.** What proactive measures would you implement to improve the platform's reliability and resilience, such as adding better logging, implementing automated testing, or improving monitoring? Walk me through your thought process and provide specific examples of how you would tackle each step of the debugging process. I'm interested in hearing about your experience with similar situations and how you have successfully resolved them in the past.